CCA TI Spring 2009 Courses

“What Would an Artist Do?” Modeling Artistic Thinking and Processes

OAK 404
Instructors: Arzu Mistry and Todd Elkin
Mon., Wed., and Fri., 4:30–7 p.m., February 2, 4 & 6
3 sessions / $130 / CEU: 0.5, available through California State University East Bay

Prerequisites: none

Artists have always been interpreters of their times, often addressing social issues with interventions that interrupt and alter people’s perceptions. This hands-on mini-course makes those processes visible and models ways in which students can use artistic practices to take part in important global conversations.

Participants learn how to motivate students to think about questions such as: How can humor, juxtaposition, exaggeration, persuasion, emphasis, distortion, and repetition help me explain my idea? How can I use spontaneity, improvisation, and even mistakes to understand the world? How does what we do, say, and make as artists relate to our responsibilities as citizens and human beings?